Nicklaus Children’s Hospital issued the following statement on the constitutional challenge of the recently passed trauma legislation:
The statement from Narendra Kini, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Nicklaus Children’s Health System, is as follows:
The hospital is challenging Section 395.4025(16)(c) of the recently passed trauma legislation as part of its commitment to fight for the children of Miami-Dade County. The hospital is specifically challenging the unconstitutional special law because it does not have statewide application and it exclusively targets one region – Miami-Dade County. This special law is devastating to the standard of care for the region’s children. Furthermore, this law will only fragment trauma care and decrease pediatric subspecialty expertise, as pediatric trauma centers afford children a better chance at survival. The challenge also comes on the grounds that Kendall Regional Medical Center did not complete the appropriate statutory requirements to receive a Level I trauma designation. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital will continue to fight for all children and their right to receive the highest level of pediatric care.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Children Matter Most ™ (2024)
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. With more than 850 physicians, including over 500 pediatric subspecialists, the hospital and its network of outpatient centers and offices serve close to 70% of children in the Miami market. The only hospital "where your child matters most™,” Nicklaus Children's is home to the region's most advanced Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower, and its centers of excellence Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children’s Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. The Nicklaus Children's Hospital's Transfer Center, Nick4Kids, and LifeFlight are responsible for transporting and saving close to 5,000 lives a year. Our 307-bed hospital, which is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, has many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession's most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.